Means for opening the spouts of spouted containers



April 2 1941- R. w. FoRRER 2,239,557

MEANS FOR OPENING THE SPOUTS OF SPOUTED CONTAINERS Filed March 25, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet l April 1941- R. w. FORRER 2,239,557

MEANS FOR OPENING THE SPOUTS OF SPOUTED CONTAINERS Filed March 25, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 2 El 5. E-

April 1941- R. w. FORRER 2,239,557

MEANS FOR OPENING THE SPQUTS 0F SPOUTED CONTAINERS Filed March 25, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 22, 1941 I MEANS FOR OPENING THE SPOUT'S OF SPOUTED CONTAINERS Robert W. Forrer, Rittman, hio,"assignor to The Ohio Salt Company, Wadsworth, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 25, 1939, Serial No. 264,269

reclaims. (01. 226-129),

This invention relates to means for opening the closed spouts of spouted containers, such as the containers used for packaging salt, and other fluent materials or' commodities, and it has particular reference to a member specially designed to automatically perform this spout opening operation and included in apparatus having, in general, the characteristics of that disclosed in the co-pending joint application of applicant with Frank E. Gilbert relating to Method of and apparatus for opening and orientating spouted containers, filed Mar. 25, 1939, Serial No. 264,268.

Spouted containers of the type upon which I the device of the invention is adapted for operation ordinarily have tubular bodies and end closure members, therefor, one of which end closure members carries a hinged metal closure spout provided with a lip overlying the adjacent portion of the end closure member and serving as a means whereby the spout may be pivotally moved to open position.

Ordinarily, in filling such containers, when they are filled through their spout openings, as is customary, it is necessary, first, to pivotally move the spout of each container to open position and then place the container in a filling machine with its opened spout in appropriate cooperative relation to the filling nozzle of the machine. Heretofore, it has been customary to open the spouts of such containers by hand, usually by the operatorinserting a finger nail beneath the lip of the spout and pivotally moving the spout with respect to the end closure member of the container to open position.

In the apparatus of the invention of the copending joint application hereinbefore referred to, a method and means are disclosed for automatically feeding containers, opening their spouts, a and presenting them to the filling machine, and the present invention has reference,

particularly, as hereinbefore pointed out, to thespout opening means as a distinct novel element, the object of which is, as stated, to automatically move the spouts of containers to open position, thus making unnecessary manual opening of the spouts as has heretofore been customary.

The invention contemplates means for opening the closed spouts of spouted containers, including a rotatable member, preferably of frustoconicall form, provided upon its peripheral face with a spiral thread element terminating at its portion of least diameter in a substantial knife edge for entrance beneath the lip of a container spout, and adapted during rotation to move the spout upon its pivot to open position by cooperation of the spout lip with the spiral thread element, all as will 'be explained hereinafter more:

fully and finally claimed.

In theaccompanying drawings illustrating the:

invention, in they several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a plan View of apparatus similar to that disclosed in the co-pending joint application referred, to, shown in cooperative arrangement with portions of a container filling machine of conventional form.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus of Fig. l, but omitting the filling machine.

, Figs. 3 and 4 are similar enlarged fragmentary detail views illustrating the spout opening means in the positions assumed by it during, and subsequent to, the spout opening operation, respectively.

Figs. 5 and 6 are further enlarged detail views illustrating the operation of the spout opening member, and

Figs. 7 and 8 are a side elevation and an axial section, respectively, of a modified form of the spout opening member.

The apparatus A, Figs. 1 and 2, of which the spout opening means of the invention may form a part, is preferably associated with a filling machine B of conventional form, the apparatus preferably including a chute 1 down which the containers, with their spouts closed, are fed, and the chute I continuing horizontally above a table Zand terminating in a spiral portion 3 by which the containers, whichnormally descend the chute l with their axes horizontal, are turned through or up-ended, upon the table 2, with their spouted end closures uppermost.

The spout opening operation is performed at the station a, and the containers are then properly-orientated with respect to the filling machine, by reference to their opened spouts at the stationb, and are thereafter moved from this station 'of orientation to the position 0 which locates them successively upon platforms or holders 4 of the filling machine appropriately presented at the station 0 by a step by step movement imparted to the member (not shown) of the filling machine with which'they rotate. The

means whereby the containers are successively presented at the various stations of the apparatus, and the mechanismwhereby the various operations'performed upon them are carried out, are fully explained in the co-pending joint appli- I will not be explained further here, except to say that when the cow tainers fed through the chute I with their spouts in closed position are finally successively delivered to the platforms 4 of the filling machine, they will have had their spouts opened and will have been properly orientated with respect to the filling nozzle of the filling machine.

Referring now particularly to Figs. l to 6 inclusive, it will be seen that the spout opening means at the station a comprises, in the embodiment illustrated, a bracket 5 appropriately positioned with respect to the table 2 and having a lateral extension 6 in which is rotatably journalled a pulley member I provided with an axial bearing sleeve 8 within which is axially slidable a spindle 9 connected with the sleeve 8 in am! appropriate manner, such as. by a spline and key (not shown) so that it will rotate with the pulley member 1 but may be reciprocated axially of the sleeve 8 thereof under the influence of a cam l carried by a cam shaft II and operating upon the cam follower roller I2, of a bell crank lever 13, It carrying a linkl connected with a yoke l6 slidable axially of a standard I1 and engaging a collar member l8 fixedupon the spindie 9. A spring l9 provides for cooperation between the cam 10 and followerroller I2.

The pulley member 1 carries a'pul'ley Z0 preferably constantly rotated .at relatively high speed by a belt 2! passing over idle rollers 22 and driven from the drive pulley 23'of a motor 24 or other similar source of power.

The cam shaft I l is rotated in timed relation to the step by step operation of the filling machine B, preferably by gearing 25 which drives a back shaft 26 geared at 21' to the cam shaft 1! I, and the containers are successively fed to the spout opening station a. by a combined cut-off and pusher element 28 appropriately associated with the chute l and carried by a rock lever 29 actuated by a link 30 and crank 3| geared at 32 to a cross shaft operated by gearing 33 from the back shaft 26. Thus, as the containers are successively presented at the spout opening station with their closed spouts in proper, axial relation to the spout opening member 34 carried b'y'and rotatable and recip-rocable with the spindle,9', the constantly rotating spindle 9 and spout. opening member 34 will be vertically reciprocated and the lower end of the member 34 will be brought; under the infiuence ,of spring l9, into operative relation to, and preferably into contact with, the tops of.

successively presented containers ,(as illustrated. in Fig.3) and will beheld in suchoperative position for aninterval, of time sufficient to permit such rotation, ofthe SpQutppeningmember that its spiral. thread-element. 35' will have an .opportunity to enter its knifev edge terminal or leading edge 36beneath the lip 31 of. the spout and-pivotally move the. spout to fullyopened-position, as

illustrated in, Figs. 3, 4,. 5. and I. 6, the particular container, operated upon being held against axial movement by the lower end of :the member 34; Thereafter thevspindle and spout-opening memher will be raised again to inoperative position, as illustrated in Fig. 4, so. that. another container may subsequently be positioned-beneath it.

As will be apparent from an inspection of Figs. 5 and 6, the lip. 31 of thecontainer spout is formed asan extension of a top wall 38-having lateral extensionse39 thefree-edges;ofwhich are formed in the arc :ofa circle having its center atthepivotal pointtor hinge '40- of thespout.

In the form shownin Figs. 5 -and 6, the'spout opening member is -substantially of :frusto-conical form. with its spout opening: spiral thread element 35 upon its peripheral face, this spiral thread element being of a depth sufficient to accommodate the lip 31 of the spout, and being of gradually increasing diameter, so that its annular face lies substantially in the arc of a circle struck from the center of hinging or rotative movement of the container spout and hence par-allels the free edges of the sides 39 thereof.

In this, form of the device, it will be obvious that in order to accommodate the lip of the spout, as this lip travels upwardly during the spout opening operation, the spacing of the threads constituting the spiral thread element 35 must be such that the lip 31 of the spout will not bind between them. However, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8,1 the spout opening member 34 has its spiral thread element 35' so formed that its annular face substantially conforms to the arc of rotation of the spout, but its lateral faces 4| are generated in substantial conformity with the increasing angular arrangement of the lip 31 and the top Wall. 38 of the spout as the spout is opened, thereby making possible more intimate engagement of. the spiral thread element with the spout lip than is'pos'sible with the type of spout opening, member illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, while at the same time avoiding binding of the spout lip in the spiral thread element.

Various changes and modifications are considered to be within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims. I

What I claim is:

1. Means for opening the closed spout of a spouted container, including a rotatable member provided with. a spiralthread element of gradually i'ncreasing' diameter from one end to the other and adapted for engagement with a part of the, container. spout.

2. Means for openingthe closed spout of a spoutedcontainer, including a rot-atablefrustoconical member provided with a spiral thread element for engagement with a partof-the container spout.-

3. Means. for opening the closed spout of a spouted container, said spout having segmental side wallsv and opening by rotation inan arc of the; radius, of. saidsegmentalwalls, said means including a. rotatable member of substantially frusto-conical shape having its side wall provided witha spiral thread element the annular. face of which substantially conforms to the arc of rotation of said spout said spiral element being engagea-ble wit-ha part of; saidspout.

4. Means-for opening the closed spout of a spouted container, said spout having segmental side Walls andwopening; by rotation in an arc of the radius. of said segmental walls; said-means including a rotatable member of substantially frusto-conicalshapehaving its sidewall provided with aspiralthread element theannular face of which substantially conforms to the arc of rotation of said spout, said spiral element terminating in a relatively sharp edgeengagea'ble with a part of said spout,:

5. Means foropening the closed spout of a spouted container, said spout.- having segmental sidewalls joined bya top wall and opening by rotation in an arc. ofwthe tradius'of said-segmental wa'lls,said means-including "a rotatable member of substantially frusto-conical shape having its side wall sprovide'd' with a spiral. thread element the annular; face of which substantially conforms to the-arc of rotation of said spout and the lateral faces of .whichare generated insubstantialconformity withth increasing angular ti-ally frusto-conical shape having its side wall provided with a spiral thread element the annular face of which substantially conforms to the arc of rotation of said spout and the lateral faces of which are generated in substantial conformity with the increasing angular arrangement of the said top wall as the spout is opened, said thread element terminating at one end in an edge engageable with the lip of said spout.

I. Means for opening the pivoted spout of a spouted container from closed condition in contact with the spout-carrying wall of said container to opened condition, including a rotatable member having its axis perpendicular to the spout-carrying container wall and provided with means including a leading edge for entry between a part of the spout and said container wall, said means being shaped to maintain engagement with said spout part during full opening movement of {the latter.

8. Means for opening the pivoted. spout of a spouted container from closed condition in contact with the spout-carrying wall of said container to opened condition, including a rotaitable member having its axis perpendicular to the spout-carrying container wall and provided with a spiral thread element upon its peripheral face, said thread element having a leading edge for entry between a part of the spout and said container wall, said thread element being shaped to maintain engagement with said spout part during full opening movement of the latter.

9. Means for opening the spout of a spouted container from closed condition in contact with the spout-carrying wall of said container to opened condition, including a rotatable member having an end for engagement with said conrtainer wall and provided with a spiral element having a leading edge for entry between a part of the spout and said container wall, means for rotating said member, and means for axially moving said member into and out of operative contact with said container wall.

10. Means for opening the spout of a spouted container from closed condition in contact with the spout-carrying wall of said container to opened condition, including a fixed support for the container, an axially movable rotatable spindle, a member rotatable with said spindle and provided with a spiral spout opening element having an end for engagement with said container wall and a leading edge for entry between a part of the spout and said container wall, means for rotating said spindle and its spiral element, and means for axially reciprocating said spindle and spiral element, axial movement thereof in one direction serving for engagement of the end of the rotating spiral element with said container wall, so that movement of the container axially between its support and said spiral element is prevented and entry of said leading edge between said spout part and said container wall is accomplished, whereby the rotative movement of said spiral element will serve to open said spout, reverse axial movement of said spiral element serving to clear the same from the container and its opened spout after completion of the spout opening operation.

ROBERT W. FORRER. 

